A new study from RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences demonstrates a novel approach in anticancer vaccine development. The results, published in Molecular Therapy Oncology, present the first preclinical evidence showing the efficacy of an mRNA vaccine in targeting neuroblastoma, the deadliest childhood cancer.

Researchers at the Medical University of Vienna have described a mechanism in metastatic colorectal cancer that has received little attention to date: A key target of existing therapies, the so-called epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), is likely to affect more than just the cancer cells themselves. The study shows that EGFR also influences certain immune cells in the tumor microenvironment—and thereby helps determine how effectively the body’s own defenses can combat the tumor.